I have 10 Ironman finishes so far and hoping to make to get into the legacy.

I do have Ironman Cozumel in a month, training has been going very well and I just might be able to qualify there. I would much prefer to qualify in a race but will take a legacy slot when I get there if not.

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Once, I was fast. But I got over it.

Posted this once before but here is my progression


* Started running in Spring 2017, First Triathlon was fall 2017


Half Ironmans:
* First HalfIM was Hawaii in 2019. Raced <10 weeks after breaking my collarbone - Finished in 5:00:01 (that 1 second still kills me haha)
* Waco 2019 - 4:41
* Maine 2021 - 4:18
* NC 2021 (right after my first IM) - 4:18


Ironman
* Ironman Indiana 2021 - 9:12 KQ


Its been a bumpy ride since 2022 - suffered an ankle injury training for Kona - went on to finish after being in a walking boot on the plane there. Was ramping backup to run the Boston when I broke my foot this April. Since then I race 70.3 worlds this year (4:28) and just finished the Chicago Marathon with a new PR (2:42). Returning to Fulls next year at Challenge Roth.

Started triathlon in 2001 as a female in my late 20s. I had no real background in swim, bike or run but I had run a marathon in 2000, finishing in over 5 hours! When it came to swimming, I had no real experience and swam my first few triathlons using head-up doggy paddle. I had swim lessons in late 2002 or so in order to learn how to "exchange air" and breathe properly when swimming.

2001 - 1x Olympic distance race in 3:25 (Wildflower)
2002 - Multiple Olympic distance races, including Wildflower again in 2:56, first half-distance race (Barb's race in 5:29); ran a marathon in 3:38
2003 - Multiple Olympic and half distance races, including Ironman 70.3 UK in 4:56
2004 - First Ironman race (IM Lake Placid in 11:28 - finished 10th in AG but no Kona slot
2005 - Second Ironman race (IM New Zealand in 11:23 - finished 7th in AG but no Kona slot), then did Honu 70.3 and placed 2nd AG and got a Kona slot, raced Kona that October for the first time and finished in 11:11

Since that first Kona qualification, I qualified for the Ironman WC a further 8 times and raced there another 7 times, the last time was 2019 as a female in 45-49

You didn't ask but each time I qualified for the Ironman WC, I placed in the top 3 of my AG... it was hard to get a slot and it really depended on who else was at the race so it always felt like an element of luck to qualify. In contrast, my husband placed outside the top 5 to qualify. He was 9th at IM St George one year and he got a slot on roll down as there were 8 slots.

Honu 70.3 - 2nd AG
IM Arizona - 1st AG
IM St George - 1st AG
IM Cozumel - 3rd AG
IM Los Cabos - 2nd AG
IM South Africa - 1st AG
IM Mar del Plata - 1st AG
IM Xiamen 70.3 - 1st AG
IM Xiamen 70.3 - 1st AG

Just a runner for ~decade. High mileage, mostly marathon focused. Decent enough PBs but never really feel like I put it all together. Ongoing achilles issues in 2020. Got so painful that I couldn't run anymore. Bought a bike that summer. Stopped running. Started riding every day. Got a pool membership a month later. Signed up for an Olympic in the fall. That went well (1st AG) so I signed up for my first 70.3 the following July. But I didn't commit to triathlon at that time. The achilles was feeling better so I went all in on a spring marathon that ended up going poorly. I was maybe swimming/biking ~2x/week each. After the marathon I went all in on triathlon for a 3 month block. I just count swim/bike/run active time. Averaged 15 hours/week for 12 weeks. Peaked just under 20. Really focused on doing a lot of running off of my hard bike workouts/long rides. Ended up with a 70.3 slot in my first 70.3 with just under a year of swimming/biking under my belt (& some periods with not a lot of those two disciplines). 33 swim/2:29 bike/1:19 run for my 1st attempt. Still dabbled with some pure running stuff in fall 2021/spring 2022 but it's now been ~1.5 years of swim/bike/run. I'm hooked. I love the training. I've done 70.3 Worlds the last 3 years. Learning how to actually race the bike this year instead of saving myself, to some extent, for the run.

I wasn't a college runner but got down to 1:13 half marathon. It seems like running is a decent entry point into the sport. I got competent at biking pretty quick. But it's different to ride a comfortable 2:30 versus pushing what's required for a 2:20 or better, and then trying to run off of that. Swimming has been a challenge. Hoping for sub-30 in December. I've put in a lot of time swimming, have done things like a swim analysis, have worked with coaches, etc. Still find it challenging & don't feel like the gains are there. Still trying though.

Should probably add that I had a pulmonary embolism (genetic condition- didn't know at the time) in 2016. On blood thinners for life so that factors into me being a little more cautious on the bike. That slowed me down a little during the run only years, coming back from that.

I started racing triathlon's in May of 2006 coming from a running background (at the time I was a pretty pedestrian 3:30 marathon time from the year before. I swam as a kid. I finished third in M35-39 in this local Olympic. I hired a coach, signed up for IMAZ in April of 2007, trained like crazy, and finished 4th in 9:43 and got my slot.

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

Here's mine:

Competitive runner starting in HS. Raced bikes pretty seriously in college. AOS swimmer.

First sprint: 2004.
First Olympic. 2005.
First Half: 2007 - Muncie Endurathon. 4:30s, 2nd AG - 35-39
First IM: 2007: Wisconsin: 10:19. Missed KQ by two spots (there were more then though).
Took 2008 off.
2009: Muncie Endurathon again. 4:30s, 3rd AG, 35-39
2009: IMoo: 10:36 ("blew up" gunning for low 10 hours... missed KQ by a couple spots)

Took off 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 (starting family and business). Did run a marathon or two.

2014: Norseman: Black shirt

2015: off

2016: IM Copenhagen as a "tourist". Basically raced "near" cousin attempting first one. Did it in 13 hrs.

2017, 2018, 2019... off from racings. Started training again at end of 18 as had gotten relatively heavy.

COVID time got me back into training seriously agin.


2021: Chatt 70.3. 4:50 something. Top 10 AG
2021: IM Arizona. 10:40. Won 50+ in XC and qualified for Kona

2022: Boston: 3:17
2022: 70.3 Elsinore Denmark:
2022: Kona: 11:01. 150th in 50-54

2023: Boston 3:08
2023: IM Chatt (no XC, just regular): 10:17. 3rd AG, KQed the regular way.


So nearly 20 years after my first sprint tri... I finally did what I was aiming to do: KQ the straight up way (not that I take anything away from XC...I thought a great experience... and often more competitive than people think). Looking at this... definitely a lot of time off from racing. But I always, for the most part, stayed in the game. Although have never raced a ton. Have done some other olympics here and there during all this time...but could literally count them on one hand. I mostly love to train.

The big break I had in 2017, 2018, 2019... at age 47-49 was definitely a tough one to build back from. At 53, I feel great. Shooting for a sub 3 at Boston next spring and having a good whack at Kona again next fall.

Qualifying is a lot about selecting the right races and it has got a lot easier also especially for women in the women for tri program. As a man i race a little triathlon 25 years ago in NZ from couldn't swim at all to mop level. Moved back to Asia and started again 20 years later in 2016 first entirely with sprints almost every month for 2 years then mix of sprints and Olympics plus some running races, swim races for next year. Moved from mop to mfop and sometimes podium off a fairly good bike run still avg swim. Did my first 70.3 in 2019 Bangsaen 5.10 11th AG and roll down qualified for 70.3 wc Nice 5.47 from memory near the back but learned a lot. Have continued with 70.3 2020 to now through covid including Lahti. Did my first IMNZ 2023 10.28 4th AG outright qualified for WC Nice again and there did 11.04 33rd AG which for me would be one of my better results.

I think key is first develop speed and some technique plus learn how to train in the shorter distances, then carry that up to oly and 70.3 then add a lot of volume and slightly easier intensity for Ironman. I wish I'd worked more on my swim earlier and run technique both of which have only really got better during the ironman block from volume. I see far too many athletes here going long early and they are just not fast enough yet, so it's easier to get fast first then add endurance, harder to gain the endurance then try to add speed at those distances.

With older AGs and careful course selection qualifying isn't that hard like before but once there having finished bottom 1/3 and front 1/3 and front 10% in the 3 WC I did I'd say front 1/2 is enough 21st or 200th is the same in a 400 person AG u are just pack fill but in that group u are with solid athletes imho. Down near the back u are with lucky to be there ppl like I was the first time, experience is still cool but maybe learn a little less.

Question is more if people are just 'freak of nature' that could run a 10hr IM off the couch (and 9hr with reasonable training)... or do they need to work really hard, pick the right race, and been lucky to even have a chance. (i'm in the second camp)

My progress was this...heard about Ironman from a friend (I was doing local short stuff at the time, never heard of Ironman--my main sport was Nordic Ski racing).
Went to Kona that following year to watch it/experience the island & Mark Allen win his final Hawaii, decided it was absolutely NUTS.
Did Chicago Sun Times (Olympic) Distance and got my Kona slot that following year. Not much progression--it just sorta happened because back then you could do an Oly and qualify. Kona was easier than I envisioned it--but each year after, the race seemed to get more & more difficult to me--must've been the adrenaline as a first timer/first Ironman making it "easy"...

Once you qualify, and race it (or any WC), I think it is easier the following years because you realize no matter what you train like, it will always be inadequate compared to some of these guys showing up and just work harder, and harder & that's where many go off the deep end and marriages fall off and relationships end--and obsession becomes what we are known for in triathlon. Not always but often. Not me, but really have seen many fall into that pit.

I started racing triathlon in 2006, 1 tri sprint in 2006, 1 olympic distance in 2007, none in 2008, back to olympic distance in 2009, and first half in 2010 with around 5h15 or similar. First Ironman in 2013 (Lanzarote with 11h19), then back only to half distances... until 2016 Ironman Maastricht 10h03 (tough bike with plenty of coblestones and more than 2h riding under the rain, run was also "funny"). In 2017 Ironman Frankfurt 9h51 (after a big injury in my Aquiles)... then "injury parade", 11h29 in IM Cozumel, no Ironman in 2019 nor 2020, then IM Lanzarote 2021 (11h30, with a bike accident 3 weeks before)... then the WC Qualifying came in 2022: Ironman Austria 9h57, 11st in my AG (6 slots, 3 already qualified in my AG, and roll down.. until my time).

In 2018, I raced IM 70.3 Cascais trying to qualify for 70.3 WC Nice in 2019... I finished 10, but only 7 slots and only 1 say no. In 2021 I raced in 70.3 Marbella, I started to run in slot positions, but I was still injuried, and I couldn't run well... in 2022 after Austria, I was in a good shape, and I raced 70.3 Vichy, I finished 4th, only 3 slots, but one STer say no :P. So I raced in Kona 2022 and Lahti 2023.

Now, I am back injuried..

SUMMARY: some are good enough to train and qualify... others need to train to much, and are more time injuried than racing, but... I was in Kona once.

This is going to be entirely dependent on your age and sex. If you're a 25-35 male your going to need times that would get you a pro card from USAT. If you're a old enough female there's a nonzero chance you're the only one in you category so a finish is all you need. The Women for Tris program gives out extra slots at some races, to the point where the rolldown for younger categories gets into some controversial qualifying times.

Race selection is somewhat important but not as much as it used to be. There's only 5 IM's in the US so they're all going to be pretty competitive. Internationally I have no idea.

All that said qualifying for Kona is much more difficult than Boston or other marathons, simply because it's placing based not time based. There's ~2,500 people at Kona, spread over ~25 age groups, so you need to be top ~100 in your age group worldwide for the year.

I agree with a good chunk of this. I think IM is doing the right thing, aiming for an equal # of male/female qualifiers. With the investment, eventually the women will be more competitive.

I did my 1st & only IM at the end of last year. Have qualified for every 70.3 Worlds at every local 70.3 I've done. Finished 10th AG at an early window & very competitive 140.6 & the slots were taken right away. USAT ratings aren't perfect (I've certainly complained about them on here) but my score would have qualified me at pretty much any other race. The scores that did qualify at my race were all pro marks, by a good margin. The system doesn't work the way that it's supposed to work because not all races are the same. It's more fun to go to the competitive races. I would rather finish 10th at a bigger race & get pushed to a better time/performance. I know you can't just do a time barrier like with running events since courses are different & sometimes in a pretty big way but the current system doesn't ensure the fastest people all get to go. There's too much of a chance/risk factor for my liking. I don't want to have to go to a race that doesn't excite me as much to get a KQ. I don't want to have to put the wear & tear on my body of racing another 140.6. Idk I'd like to try to find some balance here.

Qualifying is also a matter of luck and who shows up at a race. In my age group I did Maryland and Texas. The winner for both were in 9:30'ish mark. I was 10:34. Had I done Waco or Tulsa that year I would have qualified because the winner was 11:02 and 11:14 respectively.

Also, you have a better chance to qualify where there are fewer people at the start line. However, getting to your question. I qualified for the 70.3 WC as a training race for Maryland. I was swimmer as a kid and turned into a runner. I had to learn to be a cyclist. I started triathlons in 2013 but wasn't really dedicated to training and racing until 2019.

I ran my first tri in 2018, didn't do much for a couple of years, then qualified about 18months after I really started training. I come from a T&F background (decathlete in College), and swam in high school. As someone up above said, I'm likely in the "freak of nature" basket but you asked. I average 10-20 hours per week with a few weeks around 25 hrs.

2018: 1x Oly, 1x sprint
2019: 1x 70.3, 1x Oly
2020-2021: No organized events, training, etc
2022 (25-29 AG): Started training in Jan, 1x Oly (2nd), 1x IM Canada (4th AG, missed WC by 1)
2023 (30-34 AG): IM Tulsa (5th AG, WC rolled 1 spot, took the ticket), 70.3 Boulder (4th AG, passed on Lahti), 1x Oly (1st)

thrower (shot-put, discus, javelin) in high school, threw the javelin for a year in college and then got really into weight-lifting/bodybuilding. Took a bunch of time off of everything and started running in 2010 to do a local 10K'ish race. finished around 8 min/mile pace and got talked into a sprint tri the next year. Did that with a job lot wetsuit and an 80's era 10-speed that was in the basement of my house when I moved in. Got a road bike did my first half in 2012 (5:14), also did my 1st marathon in 3:35. Then got a tri bike and did my first full in 2013 (10:55). Progress interrupted by a post-race seizure in 2014, focused on running for a while and got my first BQ with a 3:06 marathon. Continued to get quicker at tri, mostly focused on half distance getting to a 4:24 in 2022, but did get my ironman PR down to 10:08. Qualified for St. George via the virtual club in 2021, but backed it up by finishing in the top half of my age-group and qualifying for 2022 by getting on the podium of a 70.3 in August of 2021. Also improved my marathon time to 2:54. Qualified twice for Finland but just couldn't make the timing work with family and work stuff.

I ran marathons for a decade. I was good, not great. Good enough to qualify for Boston at age 40, not good enough to get on the podium in any large race. I switched to triathlons in 2015 and spent a couple of years doing sprints and Olympic distance races. My first 70.3 was in 2018 and then I didn't race another until the end of 2021 due to a combination of bad luck and the pandemic. I don't race much, only 2-3 per year and I treat each of them as an A race. Ninety-nine percent of my rides are indoor.

I just turned 50 and since the end of 2021, I've qualified for the WC in each race I've run except for the WC itself. This includes three 70.3s and two full-distance IMs. I attribute my WC qualifications to a combination of luck and increased training volume. Below is my average weekly training volume by year.

2018: 6:39
2019: 7:26
2020: 9:08
2021: 8:49 (injured for two months)
2022: 10:39
2023 (to date): 12:28

For the 70.3 in which I did not qualify for the WC in 2018, my weekly average for the last ten weeks before the two-week taper was 9 hours, 21 minutes. Here is my weekly average in the last ten weeks for each race in which I qualified:

70.3: 11:08
70.3: 12:35
70.3: 13:34
Full 1: 15:44
Full 2: 16:39

I don't think it's rocket science. Aside from having good genes, the key is consistency of training, week after week, month after month, year after year.

I should have added my Mom was a 2X Kona AG champion in the 1980's, so genetically for endurance sport I was born on third, I didn't hit a tripple. :)

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

Played a bunch of different sports as a kid. Focused on basketball in high school. Always did well when we had to run in offseason. Swam for neighborhood swim team in summers from age 6-15 or so. Probably should have swam in high school. I was better at that than basketball. But I wasn’t great at either lol.

Fall 2014 I volunteered through my church at a local sprint Tri. Had no idea these things existed and for whatever reason thought I could do that and started training. Was 33 at the time and hadn’t swam in nearly 20 years. Was in decent shape from lifting weights and playing basketball on lunch breaks (we have a full court at work).

2015 - Galveston 70.3 - 5:22 68th in 30-34
2016 - Ironman Texas - 9:52 (bike was short iirc) 54th in 35-39.
2017 - Galveston 70.3 - 4:18 1st in 35-39 (qualified for 70.3 worlds Chattanooga but did not accept. Had trained my ass off all winter and wanted to take it easy through Houston summer)
2018 - Ironman Maryland - 9:15 4th in 35-39, luckily one slot rolled down to me. Went from the lowest low to the highest high. Hamstring cramps caused me to go from 2nd to 4th in the last mile or so. Had 6 min lead on 3rd and 9 min lead on 4th with 6 miles to go. Then the overall winner declined his spot the next day at awards.
2019 - Kona

Good point, training hours should probably be something that gets mentioned in each post. I think, at a minimum, most qualifiers will be in the 12-15 hour range for their race specific blocks (& for much of the year for that matter) unless they are super talented. I think it would be more common to find people who need more than the upper end of that range to qualify than people who can do it on less.

Childhood/college/young adulthood is only casual athletics. In decent shape for a normal guy, maybe even a bit more athletic than average, but nothing remarkable. Relevant "before times" marks:

• ~10x half marathon, 2009-2019. PB: 1:45
• 2x Sprint tris, both 2017: 1:40, 1:30 ("swam" ~4min/100y, overall back of pack as a 32M)
• 1x marathon, 2019: 4:45

2020
COVID happens and I have more free time and fewer social obligations than ever. At age 35, realize ticking an Ironman off the bucket list isn't going to get any easier if I keep waiting. Sign up for IM Tulsa (May 2021), hire a coach, and really go for it.

Nov 2020 - May 2021 average 12h/wk swim/bike/run. First time ever properly training. Feels amazing, I can't believe how much my fitness is improving. The numbers are getting better almost every day. By far the best shape I've ever been in to that point in my life. I get hooked on this feeling.

2021
IM Tulsa -- 11:59 (1:12/6:30/4:00) 58th place AG
70.3 Oregon -- 4:56 (0:24/2:37/1:47) 49th place AG
70.3 Oceanside -- 5:13 (0:34/2:42/1:42) 33rd place AG

Fully hooked at this point. Typical training is ~10h/wk. Race blocks avg ~12h with max around 16-18h.

2022
Local half marathon -- 1:36
70.3 Washington -- 4:59 (0:33/2:37/1:41) 16th place AG, go to awards but not enough rolldown
IM Waco -- 10:54 (1:11/5:29/4:00) 3rd place AG, 12th overall. 5 slots so I got the KQ. Only 600 registrants. 95F temps killed off a lot of folks too (~30% DNF if I recall). So this was definitely lucky.

Training is roughly the same as 2021. Maybe even a bit less.

2023
Local half marathon -- 1:31
70.3 Washington -- 4:41 (0:31/2:28/1:35) 7th place AG, go to awards but not enough rolldown.
Portland marathon -- 3:14
IM Arizona -- ???

Training is roughly the same as 2022.

So coming from a "normal guy" background I snagged a (admittedly lucky) KQ in my second full IM, after 2y of dedicated training @ ~10h/wk. Definitely not a "freak" but it does seem like I respond well to structured training.

My journey is a bit longer than most folks here.

My 1st + only WC was Nice.

I'm in the 60-64 men's AG

* Came from top notch athletic stock. ( Both parents were Olympic caliber smokers, and recreational curlers.)

* Failed Red Cross Pre-Beginner swimming in 1974. Passed it in 1975. (this hints at my natural swim talents which I still have to this day)

* Started running consistently in 1975.


* Failed Red Cross Junior in 1977.


First Triathlon was 1990. Dead last in the water. No surprise.

First long distance shit started in 2000, when I did both my 1st 1/2 + 1st IM.

* Have usually done about 3 or 4 half Ironmans (NON branded) per year since then, so yeah that's about 70 of those.

* Signed up for the "stay married and do an IM every other year program" (it works). This ALSO INCLUDES 3 unofficial Ironman distance events in Penticton (remember the Ironsoul? nobody but Symonds does. I usually made the podium of any race that had 3 or less participants.

*Total IM breakdown would be 2000, 2002, 04, 06, 08, 10, 12, 14, 16, you get the drift


*2017 did an Ultra 3 day tri. Last in mens division.

*In 2023, I got OLD + lucky, was the young guy in the 60-64 division at Coeur d'Alene. 1:24 swim (read the bit about failing pre-beginner in 1974.) 6:03 bike. Because my wife said "I think you are in 5th in your age group" I shit in my tri suit on the run, not once but thrice, trying to hold on to 5th. The Ironman tracker app was wrong. I got 3rd and I qualified.

I can't say that it took me 33 years to qualify because I never, EVER, in my tri-life ever had a goal of world championship stuff, mainly it was just to make the faster swimmers cry on the run.


That said, the lessons for you here are pretty clear if you wanna qualify


Pick your parents wisely.


Don't do an Ironman every year.


If you are not a gifted swimmer, be prepared to make some sacrifices on the run.

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http://www.fitspeek.com the Fraser Valley's fitness, wellness, and endurance sports podcast

Interesting to read other´s road to Kona and congrats to all who made it!
For me, it still is one of the biggest things I have achieved and done in my life (except anything related to my kids and family of course)

For me, I had no real endurance backgorund, ran a couple of slow Marathons:

Year 1: 12:43 at IM France, sub3 marathon
Year 2: 9:48 at IM Copenhagen (raced IM Lanzarote too)
Year 3: 9:23 at IM Barcelona, winning my AG, National AG Champion (race IM St George & IM Zurich too) - first year training with a coach.
Year 4: 9:04 at IM Copenhagen, 6th in my AG and 6 KQ slots (raced IM Couer d´Alene too)

My average training week, through Year 2 - 4 has been 10h / week. Still same coach, still close to 9h in Ironman races.
I have no talent, other than consistency, training mostly injury free (and franctially abusing ST to get help when I do get injured) and a geek when it comes to anything aero :)
Training and racing for 10+ years with local Triahlon Pros, and we also have a handful of Semi-Pro & GT riders in our cycling roster, that whoops our butts from time to time ;)

I think you need to add this to your signature, mate :) Kudos to your Mamma!

My endurance journey started when my dad enrolled my brother and I in a local swim team. I was 10 years old. I swam competitively until my freshman year in college when it became too much to swim, work and attend classes. I loved the feeling of working out so started running. One day in my junior year of college I was doing a longer run and met the college cross country team. They talked me into coming out for the team, which I did my senior year running both cross country and track. Following graduation I would regularly meet up with a talented group of post graduate runners on Saturday morning to do a 20 plus mile run and later on Thursday for a track session at a local track. We would attend races and seem to focus primarily on Marathons…many in the group ran the Olympic Trials.

In my mid 40s a friend of mine talked me into doing a 4 day 500 mile two person relay across Minnesota called the border to border (bike 400 miles, run 50, canoe 50). At the time the local triathlon community was growing and I thought with my background I should try that. Following the Border to Border race I looked for a triathlon to do. They were all full except the Square Lake half Ironman. I ended up doing it and really enjoyed the challenge.

The following year I signed up for more local races. I found the competition as strong as the running competition and would podium but never the top step. I wondered how I would do if I went out of state. In running I always found that running in state I had tougher competition than when I raced out of state. Was it the same with Triathlons?

It was then I signed up for the Austin 70.3. I podiumed and qualified for the WC in Clearwater the following year. I did Clearwater and thought next year I am going to try for Kona. I did Louisville and was second off the bike….jog/walked a five hour marathon…..who knew you needed to fuel during a race…and finished 10th. Bound and determined to qualify the next year….I decided I needed to get back in Marathon shape (self coaching for dummies) so ran three marathons before breaking my leg during a training session on cross country skis and never made it back to the Ironman distance because of a torn labrum until having my hip replaced 10 years later. I still manage to qualify for the 70.3 WC with every 5 year AG for the last 15 years….my current goal and want to attempt going for Kona again when I hit 70.

Long story but….as a runner we were doing 100 miles per week. Did that for 15 years. As a triathlete was doing about 10k swimming, 100 miles biking and 60 miles running. My buddies encouraged me to do less running and more biking so moved that to 30-40 running and 150 biking…..still had a full time job and three kids to coach. Now retired I try to do 5 to 8k total swimming per week, 150 miles biking and 30 miles running….that is when we aren’t traveling to be with grandkids or rving or I am recovering from my surgeries….both shoulders, both hips, heart, etc….old man syndrome when you have lived a long endurance life and had a few trips and falls.

The journey continues……

She is the OG!

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-Of course it's 'effing hard, it's IRONMAN!
Team ZOOT
ZOOT, QR, Garmin, HED Wheels, Zealios, FormSwim, Precision Hydration, Rudy Project

As you can see there are as many paths to a WC slot as there are races.

Here are the tried and true methods that work almost every time no matter what your athletic background.

1. Consistent 14 - 18 hour per week training for 36-48 months.
2. Get a tri bike. Get fitted. Get as aero as possible.
3. Swim as much as you can with someone looking at your stroke.
4. Pick a race that historically is less competitive or is run just prior to the WC date
5. Be prepared to travel.

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"Good genes are not a requirement, just the obsession to beat ones brains out daily"...the Griz

I was always a runner but felt like triathlons were going to be in my future once I started battling injuries and my running deteriorated. I quit running in 2005 (26 yrs old with 5k PR of 14:57) when I moved and ballooned to 245 lbs (up from 165). In 2011, tired of being “fat”, I started the progress of weight loss and goal was to just get back to 185 lbs. once I got to just under 200 lbs, I was working out with a couple All American female runners coming off pregnancies. We did some races together and they wanted to do a marathon. Felt like a good chance to check Boston off the list (I went from 245 lbs to running 58:50 for 10 miles 12 months later and 2:55 18 months later). Kept getting faster and then started the injuries during 2018 (39 years old). I figured let’s do a triathlon as a way to motivate me. Started swimming, borrowed a bike, and did a spring. Rode over 23 mph with an old roadie and aero bars and everyone was saying I had a future. I kept it mainly as a summer thing and had my best running year in 2019 when I turned 40 running 8:51 for 3k, 15:01 for 5k on the track and 24:32 on the roads for 8k. Then the pandemic and the only races happening were triathlons (plus bad case of plantar for 6 months). So I decided to do a Maine 70.3 and a IMTX. Ended up going having a great 70.3 debut and crashed and burned at Texas. Swore I’d never do another one again. Then all my friends signed up for Maryland 2022 and so did I. Ended up going 9:05 which included me laying down for 20 mins bc I overcooked myself with the heat but still finished 2nd in the AG and getting my Kona spot.

Basketball and tennis in high school, one year of cross country done pretty poorly. Bought a road bike when I got to college and road a lot of slow miles for two years before my first half ironman in 2008 when I was 20. Zero swim background and started swimming fall of 2007. Did 6 years of 70.3's before my first full. Trained a lot, average 14/15 hours a week for the year (including any off weeks) in 2013, 2014, and most of 2015, then again in 2017 and 2018 before my first Kona at age 30 in 2018.
2008 longhorn 70.3 5:21
2008 Ironstar 70.3 4:57
2009 new orleans 70.3 4:57
2009 BSLT 4:47
2010 BSLT 4:42
2010 70.3 WC 4:23
2013 Kinetic 70.3 4:20
2013 BSLT4:33
2013 Harvest Moon 70.3 4:14
2014 Ironman Chatt 9:27
2015 Vineman Ironman 9:21
2017 Ironman Santa Rosa 9:10
2017 Santa Cruz 70.3 4:14
2017 Ironman Arizona 9:06
2018 Santa Rosa 70.3 4:07
2018 Santa Cruz 70.3 4:07
2018 Kona 8:54

It took me 6 Ironmans over 2 years before my first KQ.

2011 IM Switzerland 11:02
2011 Vineman 10:28
2011 Challenge Henley 10:18
2012 IMCdA 10:05
2012 IM Cozumel DNF
2013 IM Los Cabos 9:42 (KQ)

After that first one, it felt a lot easier to KQ: 9:11, 9:18, 8:59, basically lowish 9s was what it took in most races, with the exception of a 9:50 at IMSA in 2014 (3rd place). Rough training hours needed to be over 20h per week to be in KQ shape.

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Are you ready to do an Ultraman? | How I calculate Ironman race fueling | Strength Training for Athletes |

Ok I was really hoping to get to contribute to this thread...

Grew up swimming but only over the summers. Was a great summer swimmer, would have been demolished if I swam club until I was a jr/sr in high school. Swam in college, mid-level D3. Backstroke and butterfly. Graduated 2013.

2014
Ran my first 5km straight (as in, no walking; no exaggeration)

2015 - 2019
Mostly sprints, some olympic tris. Age group podiums to age group wins.

2020
Signed up for both Santa Rosa 70.3 and full, both deferred

2021
St. George 70.3 (5:40, walked 1/3 of the half marathon)

2022
Ironman St. George WC (13:36, I joke that I had a blast for 9.5 hours and then walked 13 miles; got into this WC via deferral, so I would hardly count it in terms of 'progression')
Lubbock 70.3 (5:05:59, 2nd AG / 7th female, 70.3 WC spot)
70.3 WC in St. George (6:00, double flat on the bike...)

2023
Ironman California (11:19, 9th AG, Nice WC spot)

2024
Nice WC!!

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KJ
Swim and Triathlon Coach
AllTerrainEndurance.com
KJ@allterrainendurance.com

My mom is still top of her AG at various running distances. I was born there too but the 3B coach was trying to wave me home and I was like "nah, I think I'll catch my breath". :)

Before checking in my bike at my first IM, I removed the bell from the handlebars and the reflectors from the spokes and seat post.

It was the first bike I owned, which I had purchased new for less than $500 over three years prior. Steel-framed road bike, 12 gears, no aero bars.

My leather cycle shoes had a wooden soles, and you strapped into the pedals by tightening a leather toe strap.

Ran about 3:38 to break 11 hours by a few seconds and earn a Kona spot.

The sport has changed a little since then.

Spent a couple of hours on a drip in medical after my last IM in May, so I'm not sure if I've changed that much.

I grew up with an athletic background, but not an endurance one. I played soccer growing up and through college. I did a bit of running for that, but nothing more than 4-5 miles to get ready for preseason. I got my first road bike at about 25 years old. I started swimming about a year after that. I did my first triathlon, a 70.3, in 2010 at the age of 27.

2010
Musselman 70.3 - 7:00:08 (it was bad)
70.3 Syracuse - It was worse

2011 - I figured a few things out with nutrition and got on a tri bike rather than a roadie.

70.3 Providence - 4:58

I also did my first Ironman.
IM Cozumel - 10:24

I continued to work and improve over the next couple of years at the 70.3 and full distances, racing regularly.

2013 - I won my first 70.3 age group title, among quite a few podiums that year.
70.3 Florida - 4:20
IM Florida - 9:31

2014 - I earned my pro card at 70.3 Puerto Rico.
70.3 Puerto Rico - 4:25 (third overall amateur)

I won a few more age groups titles that year before taking my card at the end of the year and racing IM Coz again.

I raced in the pro field through the end of 2021, embracing the challenge, pushing myself, and learning more about the sport and myself each year. I was working full time as a school administrator (high school assistant principal and then principal) during those years, so “pro” was only in title. I made a few podiums (7th at IM Mont Tremblant, 5th and 6th at 70.3 Eagleman) and had some other decent results… Several sub-4 and sub-9 races.

In 2022 I gave up the pro card because I had never raced Kona and knew I’d never make it in the pro field. I raced Arizona in 2022 and had GI issues, so I ended up missing by 2 minutes. Last month I raced IM Chattanooga, and despite another crappy run, was able to punch my ticket to the island for 2024.

The sport has given me some great experiences and taught me a lot. It’s been an adventure and a journey I wouldn’t trade for anything. Kona has its work cut out in trying to top Norseman, but I’m looking forward to experiencing the island and the tradition it brings.

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Instagram | Team Kiwami North America

Super inspiring to go from 7-flat to your pro card! Congrats on the KQ -- you basically need to score over the pro rating at most races anyways in the 30-34 & 35-39 AGs to get it.